An Extremely Rare Blue And White Bottle Vase. Kangxi Six-Character Mark And Of The Period (1662-1722)  Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2012

The vase is strongly potted with a slightly compressed globular body surmounted by a tall tapering neck. The body is finely painted in soft inky-blue tones with dragons and mythical beasts gambolling among stylised waves and clouds, divided by three concentric bands in relief filled with diamond diaper. The angular disc-shaped mouth is encircled by pendent lappets and further diaper. 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm.) high, box  Estimate HK$5,000,000 - HK$6,000,000 ($648,163 - $777,796)

Provenance: Christie's London, 6 June 2000, lot 335 and sold again at Christie's Hong Kong, 28 November 2006, lot 1536

Notes: Only one other vase of this design from the Qing Court Collection, appears to be published, illustrated in Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (III), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2000, p. 24, pl. 19. It has been noted that the form of the vessel is derived from Han dynasty hu-shaped bronzes, ibid. An identical vase decorated in underglaze copper-red, lacking a reign mark but also dated to the Kangxi period, is illustrated in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai wenwu chubanshe, 2003, p. 98.

The design of mythical beasts flying over turbulent waves found its revival in the early Ming period, gracing the porcelains of the Chenghua period and the parcel-gilt metalwares of the same period and later. This design of the Hai shou or 'sea creatures' first appeared in the Shan hai jing, the Classic of the Mountains and Seas, which was written in the late Zhou to early Han periods. The Classic contains over 200 mythical figures and is the source for many ancient Chinese myths. TheShan hai jing was rediscovered in the Chenghua period and illustrated copies were published and possibly used as templates for ceramic designs. See, for example, the blue and white bowl with this design, included in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, Special Exhibition of Ch'eng-hua Porcelain Ware, 2003, Catalogue no. 17; and the doucai jars, nos. 114 and 115.

On the present vase, the creatures are rendered in a more stylised manner against a dense wave ground. The shape of the vase is also very unusual, and appears to be based on the garlic-head vases of the late Ming period.

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. 28 November 2012. Hong Kong